Hides and houses
Shelves and ledges
Foraging and toys
Cage accessories
Kits and bundles
Fairy forest
Spooky mischief
Sweetie stash
Game mode
Forest floor
Castles and cathedrals
Yes, mice can eat spinach, but keep it to once or twice a week. A piece of washed raw leaf about the size of your thumbnail per mouse is plenty. Spinach is safe and low in sugar, but it is high in oxalates, which is why Supreme Petfoods keeps it to an occasional food for small pets. Kale and broccoli make better everyday greens.
| Safe? | Yes, now and then |
| How much | A torn piece of leaf about 2 cm (¾ in) across per mouse |
| How often | Once or twice a week |
| Best served | Raw, washed, baby or young leaves |
| Watch out for | Feeding it daily, creamed or garlicky spinach, wilted leaves |
Is spinach safe for mice?
Yes. Walkerville Vet's feeding guide for rats and mice lists spinach among the vegetables to offer rats, Unusual Pet Vets puts it on its everyday list for rats, and RSPCA Australia recommends dark greens for mice as part of their daily food. Spinach is a dark leafy green, so it fits.
The reason to hold back is oxalates. Supreme Petfoods, which makes small-pet food, puts spinach in its "sometimes" group for rats and explains that some foods are treats rather than everyday foods "due to the high sugar content or high oxalate levels in spinach". Supreme gives mice no separate spinach entry, so we have followed its advice for rats, the mouse's closest relative on its lists, rather than Unusual Pet Vets' looser everyday listing. That makes spinach a weekly food, not a daily one.
How much spinach can a mouse have?
Woodgreen puts a mouse's dry food at about 5 g (0.2 oz) a day, around one level teaspoon. Both RSPCAs say fresh food belongs inside that daily allowance, not on top of it, and PetMD keeps everything other than the main food under 10% of what a mouse eats. For spinach, that means a torn piece of leaf about 2 cm (¾ in) across, once or twice a week. On the other days use kale or broccoli.
How to prepare spinach for mice
- Choose fresh leaves. Baby spinach is tender and easy for a mouse to hold. Skip any slimy or yellowed leaves.
- Wash it. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry, because wet leaves go off faster in the cage.
- Tear it small. A piece about 2 cm (¾ in) across for each mouse.
- Serve with the day's food. Scatter it in with the dry mix.
- Clear up. Spinach wilts fast. PetMD says to remove uneaten fresh food within 10 hours.
Raw, cooked, frozen and creamed spinach
- Raw baby or young leaves: the best way to serve it.
- Plain cooked spinach: safe if cooled, but it shrinks to a dense clump, so a tiny amount goes a long way.
- Frozen spinach: fine if it is plain, thawed and drained, with nothing added.
- Creamed spinach or spinach cooked with garlic: no. Cream is fatty, and PetMD lists garlic among foods mice must not have.
- Spinach in dips, pies or pasta sauce: no, for the same reasons.
Chard, sold as Swiss chard, is a close relative and also high in oxalates, so treat it the same way: a small piece, once or twice a week.
Which mice should skip spinach?
If your mouse has had bladder stones, blood in its urine or trouble passing urine, leave spinach out and ask your vet which greens suit it. Skip it too while a mouse has soft droppings, and start any new mouse on a crumb-sized piece. Our pet mouse health guide covers the warning signs.
What else can mice eat instead?
Kale and broccoli are the best everyday greens for mice. Skip lettuce, which the RSPCA says can cause diarrhoea. See what can mice eat for the full list, our pet mouse diet guide for portions, and our pet mouse care guide for everything else.
Spinach questions
Can mice eat spinach every day?
We would not. Supreme Petfoods keeps spinach to a "sometimes" food for rats because of its high oxalate levels, and we follow that for mice. Once or twice a week is fine; kale and broccoli are better for the other days.
Can mice eat baby spinach?
Yes. Baby spinach is the same plant picked young, and its small, tender leaves are easy for a mouse to hold and eat. Walkerville Vet's feeding guide lists spinach for rats, and baby leaves are simply the tender form. Wash it and tear off a thumbnail-sized piece.
Can mice eat cooked spinach?
Plain cooked spinach, cooled, is safe, but it shrinks into a dense clump, so give only a tiny bit. Spinach cooked for people often has butter, cream or garlic, and PetMD lists garlic among the foods mice must not have. Raw leaves are simpler.
Why is too much spinach bad for mice?
Spinach is high in oxalates, natural compounds in some leafy greens. Supreme Petfoods names spinach's oxalate level as the reason it is a treat rather than an everyday food for small pets. A small piece once or twice a week keeps the amount low, with kale and broccoli on other days.
